This invention relates to an airing and drying frame having a vertical mast on which a multiple-arm frame is mounted, which are generally known as clothes umbrellas.
These so-called clothes umbrellas, are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,961 and Swiss Patent No. 390,863 and are very popular as airing and drying devices for clothing and laundry. They allow hanging of a large number of pieces of clothing and laundry in a small area. Even large articles, such as bed linens and tablecloths present no problems. These known clothes umbrellas have the advantage that they can be collapsed or folded and can be stored in a very small space when not in use, and that the clothesline is fully retracted into the arms of the device, protecting the clothesline from getting dirty. The disadvantages of the known designs are that the mechanism for retracting the clothesline is very complex, and that considerable force is necessary to open and close the arms.
The object of the present invention is to create an airing and drying frame with a device for retracting the clothesline, wherein the device for retracting the clothesline only requires insignificant additional technical expenditure compared with, for example, a clothes umbrella according to Swiss Patent No. 390,863, and wherein it can be opened and closed with very little force.